Take a Bite Out of Hate Crime
January 31st, 2008 issue of the QSaltLake)
As British actor Michael Caine once said, “There are only two things I hate in this world. People who are intolerant of other people’s cultures, and the Dutch.”
To be fair, I don’t know which I hate more: people who are intolerant of Michael Caine, or the British.
There are several people whom I strongly dislike. There are the people at my bank who aren’t empathetic to the fact that just because I wrote out a check today, doesn’t mean I need it to go through today. There’s my landlord who wants his rent on – stop me if this sounds ridiculous – a timely basis. And then there are people whom I dislike simply because they hold more power than God holds over, well, anything. Donald Trump, I’m talking to you.
These people make my life more difficult. These people do not have independent lives and goals and dreams – their one aspiration is to make my life more difficult. I strongly dislike these people. Should I go as far as to say however, that such people conjure in me feelings of actual hatred?
There’s a noxious poison disseminating across America, surreptitiously entering society the same way a Chris-Hansen-phobe might infiltrate a home on To Catch a Ratings Bonanza During Sweeps Week. Hatred, which previously had been reserved for those who may have morally wronged us, is now being employed as a national past time against those who are merely different from us. Political pundits are allowed to call Muslims ‘towel heads’ and ‘terrorists,’ under the guise of ‘patriotism’ and ‘eschewing any tolerance of non-Caucasians.’ The word ‘faggot’ has been directed at us by everyone from Ann Coulter and Jerry Lewis to Isaiah Washington and people with ‘self-esteem’ envy.
Isn’t hatred for minorities justified? After all, isn’t it their fault they aren’t a white middle-class heterosexual Christian like the rest of us? Or at the very least, the always entertaining RuPaul?
Consider the fact that in 2005, the FBI reported that of 3,919 violent incidents motivated by race, 2,630 of these attacks were against African-Americans, as opposed to the 828 attacks against Caucasians. Of the 1,017 violent incidents motivated by sexual orientation, 971 of the attacks were against homosexual men and women, while 21 of the attacks were against heterosexual men and women. It makes sense then why some people feel Hate Crime Laws are unnecessary, as they claim that the protection of such people is “institutionalized discrimination” and “special protection.”
Of course. Who doesn’t consider “not having the crap beat out of you” to be a “special protection?”
While overt hatred towards racial and sexual minorities is still rampant in some parts of society, a less understood and infrequently mentioned hatred is one of which I am guilty. I hate particular political figures and specifically, particular political parties. While I hesitate to label myself as a Republican, Independent or a Democrat (although considering the stances I take on most issues, it’s clear that I prefer any political party that employs an ass as its mascot), I often find myself in that group of people who applaud the gaffes of George Bush and celebrate the faux pas of his conservative contemporaries. Am I any better? Can I hypocritically accuse fellow writers of being un-American for claiming that Democrats hate America, while I myself hate the very people that make such incorrect claims?
A popular radio program hosted by Ira Glass, This American Life, recently featured the story of Sam Slaven, an Iraq War veteran who returned from the Iraq War with strong feelings of hate and anger towards Muslims. To counter the feelings of hatred that had resulted from his having post-traumatic stress disorder, he took the brave step of joining the Muslim Student Association at his university, ultimately forming a life-changing friendship with a Muslim student. His story invites the interesting question: What if we were to actually communicate with those whom we supposedly hate? If we have an aversion to guns, perhaps it might benefit us to attend the NRA; if we dislike gay people, perhaps we might learn more by attending a gay organization; if we don’t understand Muslims, perhaps we might join a Muslim student group; if we aren’t fond of President Bush, perhaps we might converse with most of Utah.
Hatred for Blacks, Republicans, Muslims, Gays, Democrats, Indians, Women, Republicans, Mormons, Lesbians, and many other people is alive and well. Just because hatred for something or someone exists doesn’t mean it will go away – look at Neil Diamond. That doesn’t mean however, that we can’t eradicate such hatred by simply communicating with others. For us to consider ourselves American is to recognize that the American Dream applies to everyone; hatred therefore is un-American.
If we have nothing to fear, we have no one to hate. As William Shakespeare once said, “In time we hate that which we often fear.”
I really hope he wasn’t British.
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